Panel positioning apparatus

ABSTRACT

A prefabricated panel positioning device for placing the panel in its proper location on a foundation. A hooking assembly is secured to the edge of the panel and lifting forces are applied thereto to lift the panel from a generally horizontal position to a generally vertical position. The hooking assembly supports the upper frame of the panel and includes a capturing member which selectively prevents disengagement of the panel. An independent dolly is provided which includes a wheeled frame. The dolly supports the lower edge of the panel and horizontally moves it by means of the wheels. The dolly is provided with a jacking device which is utilized to gently lower the panel onto the foundation. The hook and dolly cooperate to position the panel.

Moore l l PANEL POSITIONING APPARATUS [76] Inventor: Charley II. Moore,245 Merced St.,

Salinas, Calif. 93901 [22] Filed: June 13, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 369,425

Related U.S. Application Data [62] Division of Scr. No. 169,772, Aug. 6.1971, Pat. No.

[52] U.S. Cl 214/1 SW [51] Int. Cl B60p 1/14 [58] Field of Search 214/1R, l D, l H, 95 R, 214/1 SW; 254/2 A, 2 B, 2 C; 187/9, 2; 52/746, 749

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,828,870 4/1958 Corlcy214/] SW 3,317,059 5/1967 Higgins.. 214/] SW 3,361,280 l/l968 Traver214/1 SW X 3,382,988 5/1968 OReilly 214/1 SW 3,563.341 2/1971 Bultman187/9 Apr. 15, 1975 Primary ExaminerFrank E. Werner Attorney, Agent, orFirmBurns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis [57] ABSTRACT A prefabricated panelpositioning device for placing the panel in its proper location on afoundation. A hooking assembly is secured to the edge of the panel andlifting forces are applied thereto to lift the panel from a generallyhorizontal position to a generally vertical position. The hookingassembly supports the upper frame of the panel and includes a capturingmember which selectively prevents disengagement of the panel. Anindependent dolly is provided which includes a wheeled frame. The dollysupports the lower edge of the panel and horizontally moves it by meansof the wheels. The dolly is provided with a jacking device which isutilized to gently lower the panel onto the foundation. The hook anddolly cooperate to position the panel.

7 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTED APR 1 5 i9?5 sum 2 BF 4PATENTEDAPR 1 51975 saw my} 2.877, 582

FIG.8

FIG. 7

FIG.9

PANEL POSITIONING APPARATUS This is a division of application Ser. No.l6),772 now Pat. No. 3,782,771, filed Aug. 6, 1971.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the handling ofprefabricated building panels and more particularly to methods andapparatus for supporting an assembled panel while the panel is beingtransported from one location to another at the building site.

The construction industry has, for years, built homes on an individualbasis by fabricating a structure at the building site. Inherent in thismode of operation are problems of time and economy. First, lumber andother materials necessary to fabricate the building must be depositedon-site and each piece of lumber cut and measured to fit. In addition.materials such as paneling and siding must remain at the buildinglocation to be cut once the frame is constructed. It can be appreciatedthat this requires a great number of workmen on-site who must saw andhammer without the advantage of factory automation. One must alsoremember that weather conditions can serve to disrupt constructiontimetables and damage materials.

A partial answer to this dilemma has been the use of prefabricated rooftrusses and window frames which help to speed construction and cutcosts. However, these advantages are somewhat limited by the need tostore these parts at the building site.

As noted, it has been found to be more economical to assemble variouselements before they are utilized in the construction of the building.Making of these prefabricated elements, is greatly facilitated by theuse of mass production techniques, such as have been utilized sosuccessfully in the automobile industry. Prefabricated buildingcomponents have been expanded to include entire wall panels and framesections. The new techniques available include automatic nailing guns,heavy duty table saws and other automated equipment which are kept atone central location. The wood utilized in constructing building panels,for example, is stored at a central location and is cut in such a manneras to reduce any lumber wastage. Additionally, supplies utilized in thepre-fabrication are delivered to one central location thereby minimizinglogistics problems associated with supplying a number of building siteswith suitable materials.

Additional advantages can be seen in the reduction of materials stolenfrom the job sites by keeping these materials at one location which maybe fenced or otherwise protected. Labor costs are significantly cut bythe utilization of manpower in such a manner as to construct a number ofpanels at a particular time regardless of the weather or other outsideinfluences. It is envisioned that even the plumbing and other requiredsubsystems may be installed when the panels are constructed. Studspacing and other measuring tasks are accomplished by means of amasterjig or templet. Window frames and even siding, if installed atthis stage, also serves to reduce total construction costs.

While many advantages are apparent in building prefabricated panels at acentral location, many problems have been encountered in the past whichhave hampered the use of this concept. For example, the panels must betransferred from a truck which delivers the pre-constructed panels tothe individual building locations to be properly positioned on afoundation. This transfer operation must be accomplished with great careso that the panels are not damaged and yet must be a relatively fastprocedure due to the desirability of keeping labor costs to a minimum.Any apparatus utilized in this transfer and positioning operation mustalso be simple to operate and be capable of adapting to a variety ofpanel sizes. These problems have not been heretofore successfullysolved.

Generally, the pre-constructed panels are delivered to the building sitelying flat and piled on one another with appropriate spacing membersbetween the individual panels. While the panels may be placed in asimilar manner at the site for subsequent installation, it has beenfound to be more economical to transfer the panels directly from thetruck that delivered them to their proper position on the buildingfoundation. The panels, then, must be efficiently transferred from aflat horizontal position to a generally vertical position for properinstallation.

Hooking apparatus utilized in the prior art was gener ally cumbersomeand difficult to use. Also when the structure was being lowered forpositioning it would swing in a haphazard manner thereby hampering accurate positioning of the structure.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a general object of theinvention to provide a method and apparatus for transferring anderecting pre-fabricated panels which can be employed with speed andefficiency thus greatly reducing building costs.

Another and more specific object of the invention is to provide an easyto use panel hooking assembly engageable with an edge portion of thepanel.

Yet another object is to provide a panel mover cooperating with ahooking device to receive a panel and accurately position the panelvertically and to gently lower the panel onto a foundation.

A preferred embodiment of the invention, intended to accomplish at leastsome of the foregoing objects comprises a lifting device including ahooking assembly engageable on an edge of the panel. The hookingassembly raises the panel and transfers it from a generally horizontalposition to a generally vertical position and onto a mover or dollyassembly. The mover assembly includes a supporting surface whichsupports the lower edge of the panel. The panel while supported by aportion of the mover assembly is still held vertically by the hookingassembly. The mover assembly also includes a guiding device whichfacilitates transferring the panel directly to its intended location onthe foundation. The mover assembly is also provided with a jackingdevice which lowersthe generally vertical panel directly to thefoundation.

The hooking assembly is adjustable to receive variously sized panels.The hooking assembly is also provided with a locking feature whichprevents the dislodging of a lifted panel prior to the appropriateplacement thereof.

The mover assembly includes a frame which is movable horizontally bymeans of rollers to guide the panel supported thereon. The supportingportion of the dolly moves vertically relative to the frame and isoperable to gently lower the panel on a foundation. A portion of theframe acts as a track upon which the supporting portion may ride forvertical positioning. A jacking de vice is utilized to impart relativevertical movement between the supporting portion and the frame.

THE DRAWINGS This preferred embodiment of the invention is illustratedin the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the panel elevating and lifting device inits open position;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the panel elevating and liftingdevice engaged with the beamed edge of a panel;

FIG. 3 is a bottom elevational view of the device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the horizontal mover and guidingassembly; I

FIG. 5 is a rear end elevational view of the mover of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the mover of FIG.

FIG. 7 illustrates the panel elevating and lifting device engaged withthe periphery of a panel lying horizontally;

FIG. 8 shows the panel being lifted by the panel elevating and liftingdevice; FIG. 9 depicts the mover supporting the panel which is beingdelivered to it by the lifting device and moving it horizontally forpositioning; and

FIG. 10 shows the mover lowering the panel into position on afoundation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIGS. 13 there is shown a preferredform of the vertical lifting device or hooking assembly 11 of thepresent invention.

The hooking assembly 11 includes a supporting member 13 which isslidably received in an elongated hollow tubular member 23 having agenerally square cross section. A supporting flange 25 extends inwardlyfrom the lower end of the member 13. As can be more clearly seen in FIG.2, the headers 19 of the panel rest on the flange 25 and are supportedfor vertical lifting therewith. The member 23 is also provided with aplurality of holes 27 which extend through the member.

A capturing means or member is provided with a square hollow collarportion or sleeve 29 having an inner dimension larger than that of thetubular member 23. This portion 29 is slidable about the member 23 andis free to move from the hook to an upper flange 31 attached to theupper end of member 23. The sleeve 29 is also provided with a hole 33which extends through both sides thereof. This hole is positioned insuch a manner that it may be aligned with the holes 27 in the member 23.Once two holes are in registry, a circular locking pin 37 may be slidthrough the holes thereby locking the vertical position of the collarportion 29 relative to the tube 23. A spring retaining member 39 extendsfrom a collar 41 to hook onto a protruding end of the pin 37. The spring39 is biased away from the pin 37 thereby holding the pin within thealigned holes 27 and 33.

It can be appreciated that the collar 29 and tubular member 23 may be ofcylindrical or any other shape as long as there may be relative slidingmovement therebetween.

The capturing member 15 is also provided with a second hollow sleeveindicated at 41. This sleeve is attached to the sleeve of collar 29 bymeans of adjustment means or interfitting bridging portions 21. A seriesof holes 43 are provided in these interfitting portions 21 so thathorizontal adjustments between the sleeve 41 and the collar 29 may bemade. In the preferred embodiment three such positions are provided.Bolts 45, or other securing devices, may be used to hold the collar 29and sleeve 41 at the desired spacing. Wall panels of various widths canbe accommodated within the area 47 above the flange 25 as shown moreclearly in FIG. 2.

A lifting means or hooking assembly 49 extends upwardly from and isattached to the adjusting means 21. This hooking assembly is providedwith a hole 51 of suitable size to receive a crane hook so that theentire lifting device 11 holding a panel such as 17 can be raised. Areinforced plate 53 is provided above the hole 51. This plate aids instrengthening the hook assembly when lifting forces are applied thereto.

A confining bar 55 is vertically slidable within the sleeve 41. This baris provided with a flange 57 which acts as an upper stop for preventingthe disengagement of the bar 55 from the sleeve 41. A locking pin 59 andretaining spring 61 cooperate to keep the bar 55 in the desired verticalposition in a similar manner as that previously discussed with relationto locking pin 37. The sleeve 41 and bar 55 are provided with throughholes which may be aligned for receiving the pin 59. The lower end ofthe bar 55 is provided with a plate 63 which extends outwardly on eitherside of the bar. The plate 63 and bar 55 are shown in their up orreleasing position in FIG. 1. When in this position a panel section maybe inserted or removed. As noted with reference to FIG. 1, the pin 59 isshown engaged in a hole in the bar 55 which positions the plate 63 inthe up position.

FIG. 2 shows the bar 55 and plate 63 in a down or locking position forpreventing the removal of the panel 17. As can be seen, the headers 19rest upon and are supported by the flange 25. They are also capturedwithin area 47 by the interposition of plate 63 thereby preventingremoval of the panel 17 until the plate 63 is in the up" position.

During operation, the capturing assembly 15 may be adjusted for the typeof structures being handled by insertion of the pin 37 in the properhole 27 in the tubular member 23. The spacing between the supportingflange 25 and the lower edge of the bridge portion 21 may then beappropriately selected. Once this spacing is set, the sleeve 41 may bemoved and adjusted relative to the collar 29 to accommodate headers ofvarying depths. The bridge portion may then be locked by means of theaforementioned bolts 45. These two adjustments may only be made one timefor a particular job site.

Once these adjustments have been made, the workmen need only select oneof the two previously mentioned positions for bar 55 to position theplate in its up or down position. The spring retainer 62 is then merelyunhooked from the pin 59 and the pin is removed. Then the bar 55 is slidto its proper position relative to the sleeve 41. The holes in thesleeve and bar are then again brought into registry and the pin 59 isreinserted and locked into place by means of the spring 51. Referringnow to FIGS. 4-6 there is shown the horizontal mover and guidingassembly 65.

The mover assembly or dolly 65 includes a frame means 67 having aU-shaped lower portion 69. Transport means including casters or rollers71 are provided at the open ends of this frame portion and centrallythereof these casters 71 may be of any suitable type provided thathorizontal movement of the dolly 65 is not hampered. The rollers orwheels 71 also may pivot about a vertical axis so that the dolly may beaccurately guided horizontally.

Two upwardly extending frame sections 73 are spaced from one another bya cross member or beam. A second cross member 75 spans the section 73 ata position generally centrally thereof. Two metal braces 77 extenddownwardly at an angle from the cross member 75 and serve to aid inbracing a counterbalancing weight 79. A handle 81 is provided on theweight 79 and is secured thereto by welding or other suitable means.Forces exerted on the dolly through the frame 67 serve to cause thedolly to roll, and a panel being held thereon, to roll to any positionon the foundation.

A support means or lifting assembly 83 slides vertically along the framesections 73. For this purpose roller assemblies 85 extend from verticalmembers 87. These roller assemblies include opposing end plates 89between which rollers 91 are provided. The members 87 are spaced fromone another by means of a cross beam 97. The rollers 91 are disposed oneither side of section 73 and are slidable thereon. The sections 73,therefore. act as tracks to guide the roller assemblies 85 and thelifting apparatus 83 for vertical travel relative thereto.

The lifting assembly is provided, at its lower edge, with a pair ofoutwardly extending elongated arms 93 having plates or flanges 95 on theends thereof. These flanges support a lower edge of a prefabricatedpanel placed thereon. An additional pair of elongated arms 99 extendoutwardly from the upper ends of members 87 and are generally parallelto the lower arms 69. A dowel member 101 is secured to the insides ofthese arms and maintains the spacing therebetween. A collar 103 isslidable longitudinally along the dowel 101 and is provided with a metalplate 105 having holes 107 therein. This plate may be secured to thecollar 103 by welding or other suitable means. The holes 107 are forreceiving nails which may be hammered into a stud on the prefabricatedpanel.

Angle irons 109 face outwardly of the arms 99 and are attached at theends thereof. These irons aid in holding the panel which is resting onflanges 95. The irons 109 are also provided with holes therein forreceiving nails which may be driven into the headers on theprefabricated panel. Additional plates 111 are slidably positioned uponthe lower arms 93. Once the panel is resting upon the flange 95 theseplates 111 may be slid outwardly and nails may be driven through holes113 and into a portion of the prefabricated panel. This prevents thebottom edge of the wall from sliding off of the flange 95. A slot 115 inthe plate 111 cooperates with a bolt 117 which screws into the arms 93so that the plate may be set in a number of positions.

For added stability and security during windy conditions, rope hooks 119project upwardly from the members 87 and are preferably welded thereto.These hooks are in the form of bent iron bars of sufficient diameter togive adequate security to the assembly 65.

A hydraulic jack 121 having a jacking handle 123 acts between crossmembers 75 and 97 to vertically position the lifting assembly 83relative to the frame means 67. This hydraulic jack may be of anysuitable type sufficient to efficiently position the assembly 83 andpanel being held thereon. A safety locking device 125 is also provided.This lock employs a pin 127 which is slidable within two collars 119 and131 secured to a portion of the frame 67 and the assembly 83,respectively. It can be appreciated that relative movement of these twoportions is prevented while the pin 127 is inserted as shown in FIG. 4.

OPERATION AND SUMMARY OF ADVANTAGES Referring now to FIGS. 7-l0, thereis shown in schematic representation the method of the invention.

The hooking assembly 11 is suitably attached to the panel 17 which isusually lying in a generally horizontal plane either on a flat-bed truckor on the ground at the building site. A crane hooking device 18 isattached to the assembly 11 and lifting' forces applied thereto througha cable 20. The panel will be caused to leave the ground and be held bythe hooking device 18 in a generally vertical manner.

The panel is then moved by the cable 10, to the awaiting dolly 65. Thelower edge of the panel is supported on the flange extending from thearms 93 (see FIG. 9). The top edge of the panel rests against the angleirons 109 secured to the upper arms 99 and is prevented from tipping.While the hooking device 18 is still attached, aiding to support thepanel, the dolly 65 is rolled along the foundation by means of thewheels 71. As was previously noted, the studs and headers of the panel17 may be further secured to the arms 99 and 93 by utilizing nailsdriven through the plate 95, angle irons 109 and the plate beingprovided with holes for that purpose. It can be appreciated that any orall'of these additional fastening means may be utilized.

Bolts 133 are shown in FIG. 9 protruding upwardly from the foundationand provide anchoring points for the lower portions of the panel 17which have holes therein with which the bolts may be aligned. The dolly65 is used to position the holes in the panel directly over the bolts133. While a bolt is shown for the purpose of illustration, it can beappreciated that other arrangements may be used.

Once the panel is guided to its proper location, it is v gently loweredonto the foundation as shown in FIG.

10. This is accomplished by utilizing the jacking mechanism 121 whichhas been previously discussed. Of course, the safety lock would bedisengaged. The dolly may then be moved away leaving the panel 17 to beappropriately nailed into position.

It can be seen that a simple, yet efficient, apparatus and method isdisclosed for accurately positioning prefabricated building panels onawaiting foundations.

The hooking assembly is provided with both width and height adjustmentsso that panels with headers of varying sizes could be accommodated. Itwas pointed out that the panel rested mainly on a support flange and wascaptured by means of an easily adjustable sliding member.

A dolly is also provided for cooperating with the hooking assembly toaid in the final positioning of the pre-fabricated panel. This dollyadvantageously supports the panel along a lower edge thereof and isprovided with auxiliary fastening means to insure panel stability.

Of additional significance is the provision of the jacking device whichis available to vertically position the panel with a minimum of effort.This jacking device is most advantageously used to lower the panel ontothe foundation for attachment thereto.

Also of importance are the safety features which help reduce onsiteaccidents. For example, the safety lock which is included to selectivelystop relative movement between the frame and the lifting assembly. Also,providing a counterweight insures that the entire dolly will not tipover when supporting a panel.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with onepreferred and illustrated embodiment, it will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art that additions, modifications, substitutions anddeletions not specifically described may be made without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A dolly for guiding prefabricated building panels into positioncomprising:

frame means for stabilizing and positioning a panel resting verticallytherein, said frame means including a generally U-shaped lower portionhaving two side members which carry wheel means at the open end thereoffor laterally moving said frame means along a level surface;

support means slidable vertically on and cooperably associated with saidframe means for supporting panel, said support means being operable tolower a panel onto the level surface;

said support means including horizontally extending arm means beinglaterally spaced inwardly from said side members for supporting a panelbeyond said U-shaped lower portion and guide means vertically spacedfrom said arm means for keeping a panel in a generally verticalposition, and

jacking means acting between said frame means and said support means forselectively vertically positioning said support means and panelassociated therewith with respect to said frame means.

2. The dolly according to claim 1 further including:

a safety locking member interacting between said frame means and saidsupport means for selectively preventing jacking of said support means.

3. A dolly for guiding prefabricated building panels into positioncomprising:

a frame having wheels on a lower portion thereof, said wheels permittinghorizontal travel of said frame,

said frame including a vertically extending portion,

slide means positioned for sliding movement about said verticallyextending portion of said frame means,

said slide means having a first and a second pair of outwardly extendingarms, each arm having a free end extending beyond said frame,

each of said first pair of arms extending from the bottom of said slidemeans and including a plate means underlying the free end of each saidarm and extending outwardly therefrom to support a lower edge of apanel,

each of said second pair of arms extending from the top of said slidemeans to engage a panel positioned vertically on said slide means, and

jacking means operating between said frame and said slide means forvertically positioning said slide means and a panel supported thereon.

4. The dolly according to claim 3 further comprising:

fastening means carried by the free end of each arm.

of said first and second pairs of arms for temporarily fastening aprefabricated panel to said dolly.

5. The dolly according to claim 4 wherein said fastening means includes:

plate members having a plurality of holes therein,

said plate members being fastened to said panel by means of nails.

6. A panel mover assembly for guiding building panels into position onanchor bolts comprising:

frame means for stabilizing and positioning a panel resting verticallythereon and including a vertical portion, a transverse member and twolaterallyspaced side members which define a generally U- shaped lowerportion;

the free end of each of side members carrying a wheel and saidtransverse member carrying a third wheel, said wheels being arranged forlaterally moving said frame means along a level surface;

support means slidable vertically on and cooperably associated with saidframe means for supporting a panel;

said support means including a pair of lower arms each having asubstantially flat plate projecting beyond said side members, each saidplate being thin enough to lower the panel onto the anchor bolts;

guide means spaced from said lower arms and vertically aligned with saidplate for keeping a panel in a generally vertical position; and

jacking means acting between said frame means and said support means forselectively vertically positioning said support means and panelassociated therewith relative to said frame means.

7. The panel mover of claim 6 wherein:

each said flat plate extends from the lower side of the correspondingarm thereby allowing said plate to be positioned below the top ends ofanchor bolts that project upwardly from a surface supporting the panelmover; and

said third wheel being positioned near said vertical portion such thatsaid wheels on said side members function as a fulcrum and said framemeans substantially balances the panel.

1. A dolly for guiding prefabricated building panels into positioncomprising: frame means for stabilizing and positioning a panel restingvertically therein, said frame means including a generally Ushaped lowerportion having two side members which carry wheel means at the open endthereof for laterally moving said frame means along a level surface;support means slidable vertically on and cooperably associated with saidframe means for supporting panel, said support means being operable tolower a panel onto the level surface; said support means includinghorizontally extending arm means being laterally spaced inwardly fromsaid side members for supporting a panel beyond said U-shaped lowerportion and guide means vertically spaced from said arm means forkeeping a panel in a generally vertical position, and jacking meansacting between said frame means and said support means for selectivelyvertically positioning said support means and panel associated therewithwith respect to said frame means.
 2. The dolly according to claim 1further including: a safety locking member interacting between saidframe means and said support means for selectively preventing jacking ofsaid support means.
 3. A dolly for guiding prefabricated building panelsinto position comprising: a frame having wheels on a lower portionthereof, said wheels permitting horizontal travel of said frame, saidframe including a vertically extending portion, slide means positionedfor sliding movement about said vertically extending portion of saidframe means, said slide means having a first and a second pair ofoutwardly extending arms, each arm having a free end extending beyondsaid frame, each of said first pair of arms extending from the bottom ofsaid slide means and including a plate means underlying the free end ofeach said arm and extending outwardly therefrom to support a lower edgeof a panel, each of said second pair of arms extending from the top ofsaid slide means to engage a panel positioned vertically on said slidemeans, and jacking means operating between said frame and said slidemeans for vertically positioning said slide means and a panel supportedthereon.
 4. The dolly according to claim 3 further comprising: fasteningmeans carried by the free end of each arm of said first and second pairsof arms for temporarily fastening a prefabricated panel to said dolly.5. The dolly according to claim 4 wherein said fastening means includes:plate members having a plurality of holes therein, said plate membersbeing fastened to said panel by means of nails.
 6. A panel moverassembly for guiding building panels into position on anchor boltscomprising: frame means for stabilizing and positioning a panel restingvertically thereon and including a vertical portion, a transverse memberand two laterally-spaced side members which define a generally U-shapedlower portion; the free end of each of side members carrying a wheel andsaid transverse member carrying a third wheel, said wheels beingarranged for laterally moving said frame means along a level surface;support means slidable vertically on and cooperably associated with saidframe means for supporting a panel; said support means including a pairof lower arms each having a substantially flat plate projecting beyondsaid side members, each said plate being thin enough to lower the panelonto the anchor bolts; guide means spaced from said lower arms andvertically aligned with said plate for keeping a panel in a generallyvertical position; and jacking means acting between said frame means andsaid support means for selectively vertically positioning said supportmeans and panel associated therewith relative to said frame means. 7.The panel mover of claim 6 wherein: each said flat plate extends fromthe lower side of the corresponding arm thereby allowing said plate tobe positioned below the top ends of anchor bolts that project upwardlyfrom a surface supporting the panel mover; and said third wheel beingpositioned near said vertical portion such that said wheels on said sidemembers function as a fulcrum and said frame means substantiallybalances the panel.